Reading
The Majestic Theatre
2019
William Shakespeare's Wars of the Roses
Development History
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Production History
- ,Community Theater,The Majestic Theatre2022
William Shakespeare's Wars of the Roses by
Henry VI of the House of Lancaster, King of England, sits precariously on his throne. Crowned when he was just nine months old, he has grown into a weak and unsuitable leader, surrounded by a rapacious aristocracy and riotous factions vying for supremacy within his government. Henry VI’s father, the brilliant general Henry V, won control of large areas of France some years ago, but the empire is crumbling under...
Henry VI of the House of Lancaster, King of England, sits precariously on his throne. Crowned when he was just nine months old, he has grown into a weak and unsuitable leader, surrounded by a rapacious aristocracy and riotous factions vying for supremacy within his government. Henry VI’s father, the brilliant general Henry V, won control of large areas of France some years ago, but the empire is crumbling under Henry VI’s mismanagement. After the young king impulsively marries the clever and strong-willed Margaret of Anjou, her scheming presence at court tips the balance of grumbling factions towards an all-out civil war. When the ambitious Richard, Duke of York, takes this opportunity to press a claim to the throne, everyone must pick a side—Lancaster or York, the Red Rose or the White.
This adaptation is a complete reconstruction of all three of Shakespeare’s earliest history plays, Henry VI, Parts 1-3. These plays echo what was hot onstage at the time they were written, and the theatregoers of the late 1580s into the early 1590s were big fans of revenge, violence, and the supernatural. Although the Henry VI plays are ostensibly history plays that chart the course of true events, these three scripts, even in their unadulterated form, are historical in the sense that Mel Gibson’s Braveheart is historical: names, places, and broad plot strokes are anchored in reality, and everything else is formulated to be as entertaining as possible.
After cutting out over 150 pages of text and 76 characters, these three plays have been transformed into what is essentially a Shakespearean Marvel superhero movie. The first act is quips, insults, and politics; the second is quips, insults, and stabbing. The result is a burlesque of violence, and in some places, a surprisingly funny black comedy. It also makes these plays practical to stage outside of a dedicated Shakespeare festival, which is tricky to do with any of the Henry VI plays in their unadulterated form. This adaptation is intended to make these history plays more accessible, performable, and fun.
This adaptation is a complete reconstruction of all three of Shakespeare’s earliest history plays, Henry VI, Parts 1-3. These plays echo what was hot onstage at the time they were written, and the theatregoers of the late 1580s into the early 1590s were big fans of revenge, violence, and the supernatural. Although the Henry VI plays are ostensibly history plays that chart the course of true events, these three scripts, even in their unadulterated form, are historical in the sense that Mel Gibson’s Braveheart is historical: names, places, and broad plot strokes are anchored in reality, and everything else is formulated to be as entertaining as possible.
After cutting out over 150 pages of text and 76 characters, these three plays have been transformed into what is essentially a Shakespearean Marvel superhero movie. The first act is quips, insults, and politics; the second is quips, insults, and stabbing. The result is a burlesque of violence, and in some places, a surprisingly funny black comedy. It also makes these plays practical to stage outside of a dedicated Shakespeare festival, which is tricky to do with any of the Henry VI plays in their unadulterated form. This adaptation is intended to make these history plays more accessible, performable, and fun.